3070 Bailey, Buffalo, NY 14215 (Get Directions) 

Bree Gilliam (b. 2000) presents us with a vision of Bright Days in her mural on Evergreen’s new health services building at 3070 Bailey, Buffalo NY 14215. This new Healthcare Hub is the vision of partners at Evergreen Health and Community Access Services (CAS). Those partners approached the Buffalo AKG Public Art Initiative after extensive community conversations in which the public explicitly expressed a desire for public art to be incorporated into the building.

In the early stages of collaboration between AKG and Evergreen, five local artists were selected for design consideration, with a focus on local artists of color: Stephen Forman Jr, Bree Gilliam, Shanel Kerekes, Joel Mulindwa, and XIII. Evergreen and CAS expressed an interest in producing a mural that was governed by their commitment that the work be hopeful and reflective of their core values.

Evergreen Core Values
• We welcome everyone.
• We are authentic, respect everyone’s life experiences and don’t judge.
• We collaborate with each other, our patients and our community.
• We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
• We use the harm reduction model and celebrate all successes.

Artists were further provided keywords identified by the community and stakeholders to guide their designs, including hopeful, calming, bright, complimentary, unique, community-centric, unifying, and embracing curiosity. After meeting with AKG, Evergreen, CAS, and community stakeholders, Gilliam, Kerekes, and XIII were asked to provide additional designs. Ultimately, Gilliam’s design was selected for final production and shared at a community meeting at Gerard Place on April 23, 2026.

The composition and content of the mural closely follows Gilliam’s studio practice. She is best known for her figurative oil paintings, which feature expressive, loose brushstrokes. Here, the work consists of two figures each looking upwards, bright smiles on their faces. The individuals look genuinely happy, flanked by a colorful sky which can be read as a sunrise, standing among a field of daisies. The flowers are symbolic for their association with new beginnings, this healthcare hub itself representing a new commitment to the health and well-being for those on the East Side of Buffalo.

Gilliam is further interested in the social issues confronting society today and in celebrating people of color who inspire change in their communities. Gilliam believes her responsibility is to depict the perspectives of marginalized people, give voice to the voiceless, and empower her community. Here Gilliam rises to the occasion, with a portrait based on her own mother, a woman who dedicated a significant portion of her life and professional career in health and wellness spaces on the East Side of Buffalo, specifically along Bailey Avenue. The figure of the child is a composite image from the imagination of the artist, meant to embrace the innocence, purity, and joy of childhood. A sense of happiness was critical for the artist to achieve. Gilliam felt a sense of responsibility to depict people in a state of joy. Often visiting healthcare spaces can signify challenging times for an individual or their families. Gilliam’s composition is designed to acknowledge the necessity of healthcare access and to mark this space and building as an asset that we can be collectively grateful to have, something we can be glad is approachable, open, and unrestricted as a site of healing and growth for everyone.

This is Gilliam’s first major mural in the region. She has previously worked on mural production with the AKG in support of Edreys Wajed and Saira Siddiqui among others. Bree Gilliam is a fine arts painter and muralist from Buffalo, New York. She attended SUNY Buffalo State University, receiving a B.F.A. in painting and a minor in art therapy in 2022. Gilliam is supported on this project with the assistance of Emeka Wajed and Laura Valkwitch.